Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia 2017, 44, 375e378 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaa.2016.05.

002

SHORT COMMUNICATION

Anesthetic effects of different volumes of

lidocaine for spermatic cord block in cattle

Ana C Nevesa, Juracy CB Santos Júniorb, Rodrigo L Marucioc, Monica Midond &
Stelio PL Lunad
a
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Universidade Est

acio de S

a (UNESA), Vargem Pequena, RJ, Brazil
b
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade
Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, RJ, Brazil
c
Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Paulista (UNIP) Campinas, SP, Brazil
d
Department of Veterinary Surgery and Anesthesiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and
Animal Science, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, SP, Brazil

Correspondence: Stelio Pacca Loureiro Luna, Distrito de Rubi~

ao Jr., s/nº. Botucatu, Department of Veterinary Surgery and
Anesthesiology, FMVZ, UNESP, 18618-970, S~
ao Paulo, Brazil. Email: stelio@fmvz.unesp.br

Abstract animals showed retraction of the testicle, respec-

tively. Fewer animals retracted the spermatic cord
Objective To evaluate three volumes of lidocaine
in group C than in group A (p ¼ 0.002) and B
for spermatic cord block to perform castration in
(p ¼ 0.02).
cattle.
Conclusions and clinical relevance Optimal sper-
Study design Randomized blinded clinical study.
matic cord block was achieved by injection of 4 mL
Animals Thirty mixed-breed Nellore cattle, aged of 2% lidocaine 5 minutes before castration and
28e40 months and weighing 395 ± 21 following incisional infiltration of lidocaine, in
(352e452) kg [mean ± standard deviation adult cattle weighing about 400 kg.
(range)].
Methods Cattle were restrained in a chute and Keywords analgesia, castration, cattle, lidocaine,
allowed to stand without sedation. Three milliliters orchidectomy, pain.
of 2% lidocaine without epinephrine were infil-
trated subcutaneously at each site of scrotal inci- Introduction
sion in all animals. The animals were allocated to
Castration is a common surgical procedure in bovine
three groups of 10 animals each. Lidocaine 2%
practice (Greene 2003; Coetzee 2011). The pain and
was injected into each spermatic cord using a
distress involved in castration (Oliveira et al. 2014)
volume of 2, 3 or 4 mL in groups A, B, or C,
have raised ethical concerns and motivated in-
respectively. The total volumes of lidocaine used
vestigations about the surgical, anesthetic and anal-
were 10, 12, and 14 mL in groups A, B, and C,
gesic techniques currently employed for this
respectively. The duration of surgery and the
procedure (Boesch et al. 2008; Anderson &
retraction of the testicle (scored as positive or
Edmondson 2013). Local or regional anesthesia are
negative according to retraction of the testicle)
currently used in bovine practice because the tech-
during the procedure were recorded. The data
niques are safe, effective, easy to administer and
were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA fol-
inexpensive (Greene 2003; Edmondson 2008).
lowed by Tukey’s and chi-square tests. Differences
Nerve fibers of the spermatic cord can be blocked
were considered significant when p < 0.05.
by direct injection of local anesthetic solution.
Results The mean surgical time was shorter in Determination of the minimum volume required to
group C than in groups A and B (p < 0.001). In achieve an effective block may avoid unnecessary
groups A, B and C, 90%, 60% and 10% of the costs for the production unit.

375

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of
three volumes of lidocaine for spermatic cord block to
provide analgesia for castration in cattle. We hy-
pothesized that the largest volume of local anesthetic
tested would be the most effective in spermatic cord
block for castration in cattle.
Materials and methods
The study was approved by the Animal Care and Use
Committee of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and
Animal Science, Universidade Estadual Paulista,
Botucatu, S~ao Paulo, Brazil (protocol no. 155/2014).
Thirty Nellore cross-bred cattle, from the same herd,
aged from 28 to 40 months, and weighing
[mean ± standard deviation (range)] 395 ± 21 kg
(352e452 kg), were randomly assigned to one of
three groups, with 10 animals in each group (www.
randomizer.org). Animals were excluded if they were
not within the predefined age and body weight limits.
Cattle were restrained in a chute and allowed to
stand without sedation. The scrotum was cleaned
with soap and water and antisepsis was performed
with chlorhexidine solution. Surgery was performed
using bilateral scrotal incisions with an open tech-
nique and was done by the same surgeon in all
animals.
Three milliliters of 2% lidocaine without epineph-
rine (Lidovet; Bravet Ltda, Brazil) were infiltrated
subcutaneously along each proposed scrotal incision
line in all animals. Lidocaine was injected into each
spermatic cord in the following volumes: 2 mL in
group A, 3 mL in group B, and 4 mL in group C. Thus
the total volumes of lidocaine used in each animal
were 10, 12 and 14 mL in groups A, B and C,
respectively.
To perform the block, each spermatic cord was
palpated and a 21 gauge, 30 mm needle (Solidor;
Lamedid Comercial e Servicos Ltda, Brazil) was
inserted as proximally as possible in the middle of the
spermatic cord. The syringe was aspirated before in-
jection of lidocaine to ensure that the needle was not
in a blood vessel. Injection of lidocaine was performed
by one individual for all animals. Surgery started 5
minutes after injection into the second spermatic
cord. The surgeon was not present when the block
was performed and was considered blinded to the
treatments. The surgeon assessed the relaxation of
each testicle subjectively and scored retraction of the
testicle as positive (þ) or negative (e). The duration
376 © 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by
Volume of lidocaine for spermatic cord block AC Neves et al.
of surgery was recorded. Complications of intrave-
nous injection or excessive bleeding at the sites of
lidocaine injection were noted.
Sodium diclofenac (1 mg kge1; Diclofenaco 50;
Ourofino Animal Health, Brazil) and benzathine
benzyl penicillin (10,000 IU kge1) and dihydros-
treptomycin (9 mg kge1; Agrovet; Novartis Brazil,
Brazil) were administered intramuscularly at the
completion of surgery in all animals.
Statistical analysis
The statistical analyses were performed using Graph
Pad Prism Version 5 (GraphPad Software, CA, USA;
www.graphpad.com). Mean surgical time data were
analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test.
Retraction of the testicle data were analyzed by chi-
square test and ANOVA followed by KruskaleWallis
test. The significance level for all tests was set at
p < 0.05.
Results
No complications attributable to the lidocaine injec-
tion were observed. The age and weight of animals in
the three groups were similar. The mean surgical
time was shorter in group C than in groups A and B
(p < 0.001), and there was no difference between
groups A and B (Table 1). The durations of surgery
were 1.8 and 3.2 minutes shorter for treatment C
than for treatments B and A, respectively. When
testicle retraction was observed, it was bilateral in all
animals. Retraction of the testicle occurred in nine
out of 10 animals (90%) in group A, six out of 10
animals (60%) in group B, and one out of 10 animals
(10%) in group C (Table 1). When data were
compared by chi-square test, retraction of the testicle
occurred in significantly fewer animals in group C
compared with group A (p ¼ 0.002) and in group C
compared with B (p ¼ 0.02). When data were
compared by KruskaleWallis test, there was a sig-
nificant difference in the number of animals showing
testicle retraction between groups A and C
(p < 0.001) and between groups B and C (p < 0.05),
but not between groups A and B (p ¼ 0.57).
Considering the power of the test of 80%, and the
different percentages of testicle retraction between
groups A (90%) and C (10%) and between groups B
(60%) and C (10%), the minimal number of animals
should have been 7 and 17, respectively.
Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., 44, 375e378
Volume of lidocaine for spermatic cord block AC Neves et al.

Table 1 Individual surgical duration, mean and standard deviation (SD) of surgical durations (time to complete
castration) and presence (þ) or absence () and percentage of testicle retraction in cattle submitted to castration after
administration of 2 mL (group A; n ¼ 10), 3 mL (group B; n ¼ 10) or 4 mL (group C; n ¼ 10) of 2% lidocaine injected into
each spermatic cord

Group Animal number Mean ± SD

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Surgical time (minutes)

A 4.1 3.4 5.0 4.2 3.4 4.2 5.0 4.2 4.1 5.3 4.3 ± 0.65
B 3.1 2.1 2.3 2.0 3.4 3.4 3.6 3.0 3.4 2.3 2.9 ± 0.61
C 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.4 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.1 ± 0.24*
Retraction of the spermatic cord Total
A þ þ þ þ þ þ þ þ þ  90%
B þ þ    þ þ þ þ  60%
C   þ        10%*

*
Group C significantly different from groups A and B (p < 0.05).

Discussion struggling during the procedure and lower cortisol

concentrations (Boesch et al. 2008), and decreased
The balance between alleviating pain and economic
fluctuations in heart rates (Stewart et al. 2010).
limitation is a challenge for livestock production
Contraction of the cremaster muscle, a branch of
(Anderson & Edmondson 2013). Under field condi-
the external abdominal oblique muscle, results in
tions, time delay related to administration of local
retraction of the testicle. This muscle is innervated by
anesthesia may be perceived as a limitation for the
the iliohypogastric nerve that emerges from the first
castration protocol (Coetzee 2011). In this study, use
lumbar spinal nerve. The spermatic cord is inner-
of the largest volume of local anesthetic resulted in
vated by the caudal genitofemoral nerve, formed from
reduced time to complete the castration surgery.
the third and fourth lumbar nerves and the auto-
Although the difference was small, the time saving
nomic testicular nerve (Frandson et al. 2009;
would be multiplied when many castrations are
Ashdown & Done 2011). It is likely that when local
performed. The volumes tested here were based
anesthesia of the spermatic cord is performed, both
empirically on the authors’ experience of routinely
motor and sensory blocks are achieved, local muscle
using 4 mL in each spermatic cord for local anes-
relaxation occurs, and pain is mitigated.
thesia before castration.
The site of injection is an important factor for the
Pain produces behavioral, autonomic, neuroen-
success of local anesthetic techniques. Local anes-
docrine, and immunologic responses that may result
thesia for castration may be performed by intra-
in self-mutilation, immune incompetence, and poor
testicular or spermatic cord injection. The former is
quality of life (Anderson & Edmondson 2013).
more expensive because it requires a larger volume of
Therefore, pain management is an important goal to
local anesthetics. As the volume administered in-
improve animal welfare (Boesch et al. 2008). In this
creases there will be increased systemic absorption
study, subcutaneous infiltration at the incision sites
and increased risk of toxicity (Greene 2003). By
and injection of 4 mL of 2% lidocaine into each
contrast, spermatic cord block can be achieved with a
spermatic cord were effective in abolishing testicle
smaller volume of anesthetic.
retraction in the cattle, confirming the hypothesis
There are a number of potential limitations to be
that a small additional volume of the local anesthetic
addressed in this study. Our results may not neces-
(4 mL compared with 2 or 3 mL) was relevant to
sarily be applicable to all breeds, as they may have
provide effective anesthetic block.
different temperaments, which might influence the
Local anesthesia is usually simple, inexpensive, and
ability to perform a successful block. The evaluation
provides a short-term local antinociception
of retraction of the testicle was subjective. Objective
(Edmondson 2008). Preoperative local anesthesia
measurements such as heart or respiratory rates and
reduces local and central nervous system sensitiza-
plasma cortisol concentrations were not assessed.
tion (Coetzee 2011) and abolishes the immediate pain
The animals in this study were unused to handling
response during castration, as evidenced by reduced
© 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by 377
Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., 44, 375e378

and these variables would be modified by the stress of
chute restraint. The different sizes of spermatic cord
among ages and breeds may dictate the use of
different volumes of local anesthetic to provide
effective analgesia. Although injection of different
volumes of lidocaine may swell tissues to greater or
lesser extents, such that the surgeon might be able to
guess the group allocation of each animal, in fact the
differences in the volumes were small and the spread
of the lidocaine after injection was such that the
surgeon remained blinded.
One potential bias of the study was the different
volume of anesthetic administered for each spermatic
cord. The lidocaine was not diluted to the same final
volume in all groups to avoid injection of different
lidocaine concentrations, producing different results.
This would be an uncontrolled variable and a con-
founding factor. The concentration and the volume of
the local anesthetic agent influence the efficacy,
quality, and duration of anesthesia. Larger volumes of
local anesthetic enhance penetration of the drug into
the nerve trunks and, therefore, produce a faster and
more effective block compared with smaller volumes
(Skarda & Tranquilli 2007).
It is important to consider the onset time of local
anesthetic effect, before the beginning of the surgical
procedure, to avoid initiating the procedure before
optimal anesthesia is achieved (Coetzee 2011). In the
study presented here, a latency period of 5 minutes
after administration of 4 mL of lidocaine into each
spermatic cord was a sufficient time delay before
starting surgery.
In conclusion, the results indicated that incisional
infiltration of 2% lidocaine with injection of 4 mL of
2% lidocaine into each spermatic cord resulted in
anesthesia after 5 minutes that was satisfactory for
surgical castration in adult cattle weighing
352e452 kg.
Authors' contributions
NAC: study design, provided anesthesia, data acqui-
sition, writing the manuscript; BJC: study design,
assisted with anesthesia procedures, data acquisition,
writing the manuscript; MRL, MM: study design,
378 © 2017 Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists and American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia. Published by
Volume of lidocaine for spermatic cord block AC Neves et al.
writing the manuscript; SPLL: study design, data
analysis, critical revision of the manuscript.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Received 14 October 2015; accepted 7 May 2016.
Available online 7 January 2017
Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved., 44, 375e378